Police say the victim was shot Wednesday night during a robbery.
The customer was at EZ Pawn at 6000 Bellaire Street at Mullins when two men wearing bandanas over their faces walked in. The suspects were attempting to steal jewelry and watches behind the counter.
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Police say the customer, who had a concealed handgun license, attempted to fight back with his own gun, but was shot multiple times.
It is unknown at this time if the suspects were also struck.
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"Sometimes it's best to be a witness and just observe the robbery, and hopefully, they don't injure anybody," said Lt. Larry Crowson of HPD. "Hopefully, you don't have to take the kind of action and place yourself in danger. Then again, I don't want to second guess the guy because he was in there and I wasn't."
The customer was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The suspects are described as two black men in their early to mid-20s. One was reportedly wearing a white jacket with a gray hood, blue sweatpants, white shoes, and a black mask. The second suspect was wearing a gray hoodie, a red mask, white pants, and white shoes.
Anyone with information on the identities of the suspects is urged to call HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers.